Halloween is for tricks and treats. Give yourself a treat by scaring your friends and family with this trick. It becomes a good memory if done in a fun and appropriate way.

Steps

Method1

Pretending to be a Prop

1

Stuff old clothes and a scary mask with newspaper, and leave it propped up in a lawn chair in your front yard during the week before Halloween. This way, the neighborhood kids will think it is part of your holiday decorations.

2

Wear the old clothes and mask and sit on the lawn chair Halloween night. Act like a decoration, keeping still, until the trick-or-treaters approach the front door for candy. Then jump up and scare them.

Method2

Being a Statue

1

Go out on your lawn dressed as a statue. Stay very still!

2

When kids come up to your house to get candy, stare at them. However, don't move.

3

Whenever they walk by, make your eyes follow them.

4

When they turn around after getting their candy, jump out at them and scream like a maniac! Don't laugh until they are out of sight.

5

Resume your position and wait for more kids to come.

Method3

Faking Your Murder

1

Beforehand, ask an adult if they can help you scare your friends (your father or older brother works, but don't count out sisters). Tell them to get a costume that makes him or her look like a murderer. However, get a regular costume for yourself.

2

Plan to go trick-or-treating with at least three friends. Find out your planned path for trick-or-treating. Familiarize yourself with it, and look for a place that is dark and hidden (ex: a corner).

It's best that you pick a location during the evening, when you'll be able to see where the shadows fall.

3

On Halloween night, go trick-or-treating with your friends. In the middle of trick-or-treating, get close to the spot (in this case it's the corner of the the street).

4

Pretend to hear a sound (a scream, evil laughing, anything out of the ordinary). You could also have the adult make the sound, but this isn't recommended if they can't make a convincing, eerie noise.

5

Say that you're going to investigate. However, tell the group to stay behind. Be very firm in your decision, and make sure no one follows you.

6

Turn the corner. Walk down the street until you think the group can't see you.

7

Meet the adult in your planned spot. Have the adult spray fake blood over you while making a convincing, chainsaw sound. Scream when he/she makes it.

You could record the sound of a chainsaw onto a camera and play it loudly. That way, the sound will be more convincing.

8

As this point, your group will most likely come running and turn the corner. They'll see you covered in fake blood.

9

Have the adult laugh like they are some evil villain and run towards them. The group will hopefully run away. If not, that's perfectly fine - let them know it was just a prank.

10

Clean yourself off. At some point later on, join the group (or not).

Method4

Scaring Children

1

Put on the scariest mask you can find. You could also purchase one that you know kids will be afraid of.

2

Hide somewhere close to your house, such as the bushes or behind the door. Be sure you can quickly open it without banging someone in the head.

3

Leave a bowl of candy out in front of the door. Leave a big sign next to it, reading: "Take one only."

If you're hiding behind the door, make sure you won't knock it over if you open the door.

4

Assuming that some "smart" kid will take more than one, leap out of your hiding place and shriek "I said take one only!

5

Watch the kid run and scream in terror. Don't laugh till they are out of sight. Then, resume your position and lurk in the shadows for the next "smart" kid.

Hershey's chocolate bars work great for this trick. Also, you could get on the roof and start dripping fake blood onto the second piece of candy that they took. However, this may be trickier to perform, especially if you fall off the roof!

Method5

Dressing Up as Jason

1

Dress up as Jason, and put fake blood on all of your costume (machete, mask,etc.).

2

Bring a fake blood packet, or a bottle of ketchup and meet your friend on a shadow-like sidewalk. Give them the fake blood or ketchup.

3

Explain the prank to them, and then wait until some kids are coming down the sidewalk.

4

Pretend you're killing your friend while they squirt the fake blood or ketchup. Make it realistic! Then your friend will fall (try to fake the fall, sidewalks hurt) and keep squirting the blood packet or ketchup while they're down. Make sure no one sees the packet.

5

Start walking slowly to the kids that saw the whole thing with your machete by your side in view. Do not laugh or smile, as it'll ruin the whole effect. If you cannot help but smile, make your smile look evil and scary. Practice your evil smile beforehand in the mirror for an excellent, convincing one.

6

If the kids don't run when you start coming close (they probably will), raise the machete high when you're three feet away from them.

7

Don't laugh until they're out of sight - same thing with your friend getting up. Once they're gone, help your friend up and laugh at the good Halloween joke.

Method6

Jumping Out at Trick-or-Treaters

1

Decorate your house for Halloween as usual. It's suggested propping up more 'cutesy' decorations than you usually do, just to help with the prank. Scary decorations are not recommended, especially since you don't want kids to already be frightened.

2

Set up a crate at the start of your path that leads to your front door. Cover it with a black blanket or sheet. Make sure the door is facing outwards, towards the side of the path. Also, check that the crate is hidden, but it is easy to access.

3

On Halloween night, dress yourself up like a scary zombie or ghoul. Wearing face paint or a mask and ripped-up clothing. Make sure your costume will easily convince people that it is real.

4

Before trick-or-treaters start to come to your door, hide in the crate. Make sure you are fully concealed.

5

When trick-or-treaters begin to come, act natural. Do not jump out at them as they first walk by; otherwise, it will ruin the prank.

6

After the trick-or-treaters come merrily down from your cutesy house with their candy and have happily skipped about halfway down your driveway, jump out from your crate. Chase or crawl after them murderously while screaming or growling. They will be horrified at this unexpected event.

Method7

Using a Hanging Skeleton

1

Acquire a fake skeleton. Also, purchase some rope.

2

Tie the rope around the skeleton's neck.

3

Go to the second floor of your house. Find a window above your front door.

4

Measure out 2 or 3 meters (6.6 or 9.8 ft) of rope. Tie the skeleton to something in the room so that it's hanging.

5

When trick-or-treaters approach your door, throw the skeleton out of the window. Be careful not to hit anyone.

Method8

Doing the Sneaky Scare

1

Make sure your friend invites you over to his house for a sleep over or a get-together.

2

Before you go over to his/her house, wear the following:

An orange ski mask

You could borrow a mask from a friend (not the one you're planning to prank).

Black clothing

Camouflage jacket

3

Go to your friend's house and stand outside the window. Look down at the ground and don't make eye contact.

4

Once your friend spots you, stand there for about 5-10 seconds before revealing that it's you. By the time you reveal yourself, your friend should already be freaking out.

Method9

Using Fake Blood

1

Decorate your house with a cute theme for Halloween. This way, kids don't suspect anything. Use smiling ghosts, cute witches, funny/dancing skeletons, etc. Another option is to make your house really scary so that kids are already apprehensive. For the scary effect, try black lights, fake bones, fake blood (you can use ketchup or fake blood), etc.

2

Set out a bowl of candy on your porch, making sure it is good candy! Kids will love it and want to come up to your house to get that candy.

3

Get a scary mask (ex: monster mask, but avoid a famous monster mask) and a freaky outfit. Note that white outfits work the best, since a light-colored outfit is required in the next step.

4

Purchase a bottle of fake blood and splash it all over your outfit, making sure to leave some white spots in appropriate places. If you choose to wear a Jason mask, put the fake blood on that too. Your outfit needs to look like you just killed someone.

5

With your costume and mask snapped into place, hide in a place where you won't be seen, making sure you can easily get out of it without making a fool of yourself.

If you have a peephole on your door, you can hide behind your closed door. Just be sure that you won't hit anyone/anything when you fling open the door.

You can also hide behind bushes or conceal yourself in the shadow of a decoration.

6

Wait until kids come up to your house. Prepare to jump out as they approach you. Once you see them reaching down for the candy, you can either jump out or wait until they are done getting the candy.

7

After you suddenly jump out, the kids should be afraid! Accompany your leap with a bloodcurdling scream for a better effect. As they run off, chase after them a little or immediately go back into hiding once you know no one is watching.

Method10

Dressing Like a Werewolf

1

Wear the following:

A pair of quiet, yellow shoes

Quiet, black/pink tight trousers

Plain, black/navy blue hoodie

2

After you have gathered all needed articles of clothing for your outfit, find a good werewolf mask. If you can, put some glow-in-the-dark paint on the teeth for more scares.

3

Secretly follow your friends as they go trick-or-treating. When you see them getting close to some bushes or an area with little overhead light, run ahead and hide in the dark. Be careful that they don't see you!

If you painted your teeth, quickly charge up your glowing teeth with a small flashlight. Make sure you turn your back to the street so your friends can't see you.

4

Make a rustling noise in the bushes. Step on some sticks to make noise. As your friends come past you, dive out of the bushes, growling and baring your teeth. Land on all fours.

5

With their screams echoing in your head, run in the opposite direction of them towards your home. Weave and turn in the streets to prevent them from following you, but this is only recommended if you're familiar with the neighborhood.

6

Once you take off the costume, pass out some candy. That way, you can just play it off and act like there wasn't anything happening.

The more realistic, the better. However, it depends on the age group you are dealing with - if a toddler comes around the corner, you don't want to have a gallon of blood spitting out of your jugular vein. But if you have older kids and young adults, the gorier, the scarier.

Isn't the fake murder thing going too far? Having someone think you're murdered could make them call the police, make them so terrified that it could ruin Halloween for them, or even give them a panic attack.

wikiHow Contributor

It depends on how it is done. If you choose to do that prank, make sure you reveal yourself before it goes too far and make sure your intended victim is not someone who scares or panics easily.

What will happen if other people hear the screaming and go to the place where it is happening in method 3?

wikiHow Contributor

Since it is Halloween, people will most likely assume that the screaming is coming from one of the houses, and will think nothing of it, as many houses have sound effects playing. However, if you want to be extra careful not to attract anyone to the place, then choose a place with few people, so as to not scare other trick-or-treaters.

Sure. Pretend like no one is there and then chase your friend down the street. Another way you can do this is by making a dummy with a watermelon head. Make sure the watermelon is fully covered in clothing or a mask and then bash the watermelon with a weapon of your choice and watch as your friends think that you just murdered someone.

That's a personal choice. In the northern hemisphere, Halloween falls during a cooler part of the year, so a full-body costume might be preferable for warmth. Some people also feel that a costume which completely disguises your appearance and makes you look like the monster you're trying to emulate is the best kind of costume. At any rate, it's very much up to you.

You might bring that person somewhere creepy, like a graveyard, preferably at night. Tell him the story you're about to tell is a true story. Don't smile or laugh or do anything that might give your intentions away. Tell the story with dramatic intonations.

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Tips

Avoid suspicion by saying you're too sick to go trick-or-treating.

If they claim that you're not scary enough, don't show them who you are, but keep on following them. Chase them, don't give up. Be persistent and creative.

Practice your jokes at home on your siblings.

If you aren't going trick or treating, or even just before you go, find a spot near the door where the trick or treaters cant see you run up to the door. Have your friend and family member who is handing out candy ready with the bowl behind them. When they reach back, burst out the door and scare them silly! However, you may tell them to come back to get some candy.

Another great scare: hide underneath a cheap table that's covered with a cloth. Cut holes in the table, cloth, and a bowl big enough for your hand to fit through. Cover your hand with candy. When an unsuspecting trick-or-treater comes along, shoot your hand out of the holes and cause mass terror! It helps if the bowl is glued to the table.

Warnings

If you really scare someone and keep doing it (without them knowing) it's impossible to separate what's play from what's real.

With regards to the "Faking Your Murder" prank, make sure your victims they know it's a prank immediately. Don't make it worse by seeing how far you can make it go. Refusal to do so could mean severe consequences, both for you and your friend.

Some of these, including following kids with weapons, could be pushing the boundaries with respect to the law. Make sure to check where to draw the line, as some pranks may lead to trouble with the police.